The Military Personnel Flight, which includes the ID Card section at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, provides a variety of services to active-duty and retired military members, reservists, civilian employees and families. (Wesley Farnsworth/U.S. Air Force)
Military family members and retirees living in the United States can now renew their identification cards online and receive the new cards in the mail through an expansion of a pilot program that began nearly one year ago, the Defense Department announced.
The change impacts about 1 million people carrying the department’s Uniformed Services Identification Card, which is issued to family members and retirees so they can access service benefits and privileges. The cards are different from the Common Access Cards issued to military personnel and civilian employees.
Each year, the Defense Department issues 4.5 million ID cards, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center. About 2.5 million of those are USID cards.
A pilot program for online renewal began in February 2023, and remains limited to those living within the U.S. An expansion to non-U.S. addresses is in the works, according to the department.
“We think modern capabilities like renewing a driver’s license online make it easier for people to get what they need when they need it without burdening them with having to take a trip somewhere,” Mike Zarlenga with the Defense Manpower Data Center said in a statement. “We’re excited about this, and it sounds like people see online renewal as making their lives easier, based on the feedback we’re getting.”
The change also will free up appointments for military and civilian personnel who must continue to renew in person or for those people getting a military ID card for the first time.
“We want to make sure that people visiting that office can get an appointment when they need one, and they can get their CAC and resume their mission or duties with minimal impact to them or to the department,” Zarlenga said.
More information about the online USID card renewal pilot program, including restrictions and requirements, is available on the cac.mil website.
